Friday, May 10, 2013

I can't sleep. So I'm going to write.
This is a blog post that has been a long time coming. It's been coming since I arrived here on my college campus for the first time. In 2 days I will be leaving this place. I will be handed a very expensive piece of paper, my family and friends will watch, people will clap, someone important will speak, there will be lots of hugs and tears, and lots of people will ask to see my expensive paper. Then I will pack up and leave. I will drive away toward something completely new and completely unknown. It doesn't really feel like a real thing that's happening to me. I just feel like life will go on as I've known it. But it won't. God is mixing things up. He's getting me ready for new things. I know He's preparing them. I know He's already there showing me the way, but I'm kind of scared.
I don't want to be scared. I like to think of it positively. When I organize a surprise party for someone or even just a small surprise, I am excited about it. I want them to be excited too. I would be hurt if they said to me, "thanks for organizing this for me, but no thanks. I don't want it." I think God is organizing a surprise for me coming up. I don't know what it is, but He does. And He's excited about it! He can't wait for me to see and be surprised and know that I am loved deeply by Him because He cared enough to plan this for me. How cool is that? Jesus just wants me to be excited for any possibility that He has planned. Another way to think about it: God is preparing a mansion for us in heaven, right? What about here? I think God builds little mansions for us along our life. These little mansions are just little glimpses of what the real thing will be like. What I'm going into now is just a new little mansion, another little glimpse, another clue along the scavenger hunt.

College has been absolutely wonderful. I have loved it. It's been a great mini-mansion. Now it's time to move out and move into my new mini-mansion. Exciting, right?

Friday, May 3, 2013

"The Holy Three have always existed as a divine dance of romance, a whirlwind of affection and pleasure and love unending. It was from this pulsating intimacy that God created humanity and the natural order. Though we will always remain the creation, He formed humanity to enter into relationship with the Trinity." - Dana Candler

I think this is easy to forget. We are deeply loved and radically forgiven. Do you think that would merit it a good idea to dwell on our sin? I don't think so. The Trinity loves each other with an intense, romantic love. Then they decided that they wanted to create humanity so that we could experience that love. They want us to be a part of their "dance of romance." If we constantly deem ourselves unworthy, we are forgetting that we don't have to be worthy. Of course we aren't worthy, that's why Jesus gave us his clothes (Let Jesus Dress You). We are radically forgiven. If we constantly dwell on what is wrong with us we are forgetting that we are forgiven. The best medicine for becoming more holy is to spend time with the Holy One.

A Day In The Life

There is no Webster definition of my life. That doesn't mean, though, that i have to define it for myself. Most people do define their own life. They work hard to make money, build a good reputation, become powerful, and be known as "good people." I don't have that burden on my shoulders because my heavenly Father defines my life. My identity is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. I don't need to worry about making a lot of money, or having a good reputation, or being popular, or powerful. I don't need to work my butt off to get in good with the crowd. I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and my identity is found right there. It's not that I'm never worried, scared, or angry. I am human afterall. My life isn't carefree. I just know that everything is in the Lord's hands. Now that I've given it to Him, He does what he pleases with it. He defines my life. He IS my life.